Protective travel golf bag

ABSTRACT

A protective golf bag system includes a golf bag a removable protective cover. The cover is supported by a protector fitted into a top opening of the bag. The protector includes a divider with a plurality of arms spanning across the sides of the bag and adapted to attach to the sides. These arms form areas for inserting of a number of golf clubs. At the bottom of the bag is a plate to which is releasably anchored an extensible tube with a top portion and a bottom portion centrally positioned in the golf bag with a handle extending through a center of the divider. A button on the handle releases a connecting member at each of the top and bottom of the extensible tube that fixes the relative position of the top and bottom portions of the extensible tube.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/422,322, filed Nov. 15, 2016, U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/343,499, filed May 31, 2016, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/309,125, filed Mar. 16, 2016 the disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present description relates generally to protective golf bags andmore particularly to a protective travel golf bag.

BACKGROUND OF RELATED ART

When not in use, golf clubs are typically protected by head mittensand/or by a flexible hood fitted over the heads of the clubs andreleasably secured to the upper collar of the golf bag. While thesemeasures provide basic protection, they do not necessarily providesignificant protection against damage due to rough handling during longterm storage and/or transport, such as for instance during air travel.

To provide additional protection, hard-sided travel bags are availableto enclose and protect the traditional bags and clubs. While rigidstructures are generally effective in combatting club damage they aretypically larger, heavier, and/or more cumbersome than traditional golfbags and may require additional logistics handling, and shipment as wellas storage of the hard-sided bag itself.

In an attempt to avoid a separate hard-sided shell, various devices toreinforce a typical soft-sided bag have been utilized as well. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,208 describes a golf bag that purports toprotect golf clubs from damage during transit or storage. The golf bagincludes a head member having a solid plate configuration and having asemi-rigid construction and an extensible rod assembly adapted to bepositioned in the golf bag with the lower end of the rod assemblypositioned on the base of the golf bag. The head member may bereleasably attached to the upper end of the rod assembly or may bestored in a side pocket of the golf bag. The rod assembly is selectivelymoveable between an extended travel configuration having a lengthgreater than the length of the longest club of the set of clubs, wherebythe head member may be releasably attached to the upper end of the rodassembly so as to protectively overlie the head of the longest club toprovide protection for the clubs in travel scenarios, and a retractedplay configuration having a length less than the length of the golf bag,whereby the head member may be removed from the rod assembly and storedin the side pocket of the golf bag so that the rod assembly may resideunobtrusively in the bag during golf play.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of an example golf bag andprotector in combination.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the example protector.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of an example cap of the exampleprotector.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of another example cap of theexample protector.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of an example travel case includingthe example protector.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of an example golf bag andprotector in combination with the protector in an extended position.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of an example golf bag andprotector in combination with the protector in a retracted position.

FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the example protector.

FIG. 9 is another partial perspective view of the example golf bag andprotector in combination with the protector in the retracted position.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the example golf bag and protector incombination with the protector in the extended position

FIG. 11 shows the example golf bag and protector of FIG. 10 with theprotector tube partially removed.

FIG. 12 is a cross sectional of the cap of the protector showing therelease mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a partial cross sectional view the protector tube as coupledto the example collar.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of one example pin locking mechanismfor releasing the tube of the protector to allow the protector to movebetween the retracted and extended position.

FIG. 15 is a cross sectional view of the pole as retained in the base.

FIG. 16A is an exploded assembly view of the example protector and bag.

FIG. 16B is a perspective view of the collar.

FIG. 17 shows a cross section of the arm.

FIG. 18A is a partial perspective view of an example protector in anextended position.

FIG. 18B is a partial perspective view of an example protector in aretracted position.

FIG. 19 is a cross section of the handle assembly.

FIG. 20 is an exploded view of the handle assembly.

FIG. 21 is perspective partial cross-section of the tube section.

FIG. 22A is an exploded assembly view of the example protector and bag.

FIG. 22B is a detailed view of an example golf bag.

FIG. 22C is a detailed view of the locking mechanism.

FIG. 22D is a detailed view of the plate's connecting mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of example methods and apparatus is notintended to limit the scope of the description to the precise form orforms detailed herein. Instead the following description is intended tobe illustrative so that others may follow its teachings.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-16, an example golf bag 10 comprising anexample protector 20 is illustrated. In this example, the exampleprotector 20 is suited for providing additional protection to the golfbag 10 and/or any golf clubs 22 housed therein as per normal usage. Aswill be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the golf bag 10includes a collar 24 comprising at least one divider 26 and/or at leastone handle 28. As will be appreciated, the divider(s) 26 provides forvarious compartments for the gold clubs 22 to be inserted into the bag10, while the handle(s) 28 provide for a convenient mechanism by which auser may carry the bag 10.

The example protector 20 comprises, in combination, a base 30, thecollar 24, and a tube 32 coupling the base 30 to the collar 24. In thisexample, the tube 32 is a substantially hollow tube extending the entirelength between the base 30 and the collar 24. Additionally, asdisclosed, the example tube 32 is a rigid tube designed to provide aresistance to any longitudinal compressive force. The tube 32 isconfigured to accept an extension arm 34, which in this illustrationcomprises a cap 36 removably coupled to one end of the arm 34. In thisexample, the arm 34 is slidably coupled to the tube 32, such as forinstance as an inner tube and outer tube and may extend between aretracted position (FIGS. 1, 2, and 7) and an extended or protectiveposition (FIGS. 2 and 6). The location of the arm 34 within the tube 32may be controlled or selected via any suitable position selectionmechanism including for instance a locking button selectively coupled toone of a plurality of apertures, a friction coupling, various biasingdevices, hydraulics, or any other design as desired.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in a retracted position, the cap 36 isconfigured to nest within or abut substantially flush with the dividers26. To provide this coupling, the cap 36 may be designed to have ashape, such as a star shape as shown, which corresponds to the layout ofthe dividers 26. Accordingly, it will be understood that the size andshape of the cap 36 may vary depending upon the design of the collar 24to which it mates. In this manner, the entire arm 34 and cap 36 assemblymay be stored within the bag 10 without having to remove and/orseparately store the cap 36 and/or arm 34. Meanwhile, in the extendedposition illustrated in FIG. 2 and in phantom in FIG. 1, the cap 36 isextended beyond the height which a typical length golf club extends. Inthe extended position, the cap 36 is capable of providing protection tothe golf clubs 22.

More specifically, in one example, the cap 36 may be removable in favorof a protective cap 40. In one example, either of the caps 36, 40 may beremoved from the arm 34 through a release button 42 or any othersuitable mating mechanism as desired. The protective cap 40 may then beutilized within a hood (not shown) attachable to the bag 10 and/orcollar 24 or a separate device, such as a travel case 50 as shown inFIG. 5. In at least one example, the protective cap 40 may be integrallyprovided within the travel case 50. In another example, the protectivecap 40 may be separately provided from the travel case 50.

When the protective cap 40 is integral with the case 50, the protectivecap 40 may simply nest with the cap 36, or the protective cap 40 maycomprise a coupling mechanism provided to releasably mate with the arm34 when the cap 36 is removed. Similarly, when the protective cap 40 isseparately formed from the case 50, the protective cap 40 may bereleasably coupled to the arm 34 or may be nested or otherwise coupledto the cap 36 such that the protective cap 40 abuts the inner surface ofthe travel case 50 when the golf bag 10 is located within the case 50and the arm 34 is in the extended position. FIG. 17 shows a crosssection of the arm 34.

Referring specifically to FIGS. 12-15, one example of the constructionand operation of the locking mechanism is illustrated. In particular, asshown the release button 42 is operably connected to a release rod 1243via a snap hook 1244. The release rod 1243 then extends through thetelescoping combination of the arm 34 and the tube 32 to controltelescoping operation of the combination. Specifically, as shown in FIG.14, the release rod 1243 is operably coupled to a release button rodfoot 1250. The foot 1250 is operably connected with a wedge 1252. Thewedge 1252 contacts a cammed surface 1254 to laterally move (e.g.,retract) a pin 1256 when the button 42 is depressed. The pin 1256 islocated to extend through an aperture 1258 formed in the arm 34 and whenlocated in the proper orientation, to also extend through an aperture1260 in the tube 32. A biasing member, such as a spring 1262 operablybiases the pin 1256 towards the apertures 1258 and 1260. As will beappreciated, while when the pin 1256 is retracted, the arm 34 and tube32 are free to move relative to one another, a and when extended throughthe apertures 1256, 1260, the pin 1256 prevents relative movementbetween the arm 34 and the tube 32. It will also be appreciated that thetube 32 may include a plurality of apertures disposed along thelongitudinal length of the tube 32 to allow for multiple lockedpositions. A trap ring 1270 may be included to allow for centering ofthe arm 34 within the tube 32.

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the tube 32 may be releasably coupled to thebase 30 by any suitable device, including, for example, an end cap 1532and a fastener 1520, such as a screw. More particularly, as illustrated,the tube 32 includes the end cap 1532 mounted to the end of the tube 32,wherein the end cap 1532 includes a threaded aperture 1534. The fastener1520 may then releasably secure the end cap 1532, and thus the arm 32,to the base 30.

FIG. 16A shows an exploded assembly view of another example golf bag andprotector. The bag has a top opening into an internal cavity defines bythe inner liner 1623. In this example bag, the handle 1601 is made intwo co molded parts: an upper part 1601 a and a lower part 1601 b. Builtinto the handle is a lock release button 1602 which is operablyconnected to a lock release rod 1603 which extends down the length ofthe central tube 1611, 1612. In the middle portion of the tube, a lockrelease rod stabilizer 1604 is positioned in order to prevent the rodform flexing. At the end of the rod is lock release foot 1605.

The locking pin mechanism is made of a lock mechanism wedge 1606 in alock mechanism body housing 1607. In order to prevent a locking pin frombeing misaligned, a lock mechanism trap ring 1608 is positioned abovethe slot of the pin in lock release foot 1605. As described above thelock mechanism wedge 1606 biases a lock mechanism spring 1609 connectedto a lock mechanism pin 1610 in order to lock the relative movement ofthe upper tube 1611 with respect to the lower tube 1612. The tube 1612is closed at either end with a lower tube upper end cap 1613 and a lowertube lower end cap 1614 which is in turn connected via a fastener to thebase 1616.

As shown in FIG. 16B is a plastic divider 1618 with over-molded handles1619 a, 1619 b built in to the sides of the divider, which are typicallytwo-part sonic welded together. The arms subdividing the divider includedivider walls 1620 and extend to the sides of the bag. The divider isfitted over the top opening of the bag with divider ring outer wrap 1621extending all around the rim of the opening forming a secure lateralhold on the bag. The divider shown also has a decorative edge finish1622 with a lower transitional edge bead.

FIG. 18A shows the example protector in an extended position while FIG.18B shows the protector in a retracted position. In the extendedposition, the arm 34 topped by handle 36 can be seen extended from thecollar 24. In the retracted position, these portions fit fleshly intothe divider 26. This allows the arm 34 to fit into the tube 32 anchoredby the plate 30.

Turning now to FIG. 19, the releasable pin attachment system is shown.This fixes the relative position of the handle 36 and tube 32 which arerespectively the inner part and outer part of the extensible member. Therelease button 42 is connected to the release rod 1243 and fixed by arivet into snap hook 1244. These components and other parts of thehandle assembly are shown in an exploded view in FIG. 20. Across-sectional view is shown in FIG. 21 showing the handle 32concentrically in the tube 34 surrounding the release rod 1243 with thecentral stabilizer shown.

Another example protector is shown an exploded view of FIG. 22A. In thisfigure, the protector is shown without a bag. The bag 2220 is shown inFIG. 22B. The “x” shaped handle is shown with both top portion 2201 aand bottom portion 2201 b. The collar 2218 is co formed with handles2219 a, 2219 b. The release button 2202 and stabilizer 2204 are shown onthe release rod 2203 with a lower adapter 2205 at the end opposite therelease button 2202. The top housing 2213 fits into the handle at thetop of the arm 2211 to lock the top of the arm's 2211 and tube's 2212relative position. The arm 2211 and tube 2212 are fit around the releaserod. This assembly connects to locking mechanism 2221 which is itselffixed to the plate 2223.

In FIG. 22C, the locking mechanism is shown in an exploded view. Asdiscussed above, the wedge 2206, positioned in mechanism upper housing2207, biases a lock mechanism spring 2209, contained in mechanism lowerhousing 2208. The connecting adapter 2214 is built into the plate 2223is shown in FIG. 22D with a fastener 2215.

Although certain example methods and apparatus have been describedherein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. Onthe contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles ofmanufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claimseither literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

We claim:
 1. A protective golf bag system, comprising: a golf bagcomprising: a cavity formed by a plurality of side walls and a cavitybottom, wherein the cavity bottom forms a first end of the cavity, anopening formed by the plurality of side walls at a second end of thecavity, and a collar configured to attach to the plurality of side wallsthat form the opening at the second end of the cavity, wherein thecollar comprises a divider that forms a plurality of areas for insertionof one or more golf clubs in the golf bag; and a protector comprising: aplate affixed to the cavity bottom, a telescoping extensible tubecomprising an inner tube configured to telescope within at least aportion of an outer tube, the telescoping extendible tube extendingthrough a center of the divider wherein a bottom of the outer tube isreleasably joined to the plate, and a removable protective coverattachable to an end of the inner tube that does not telescope withinthe outer tube, wherein the telescoping extensible tube is configured toposition the removable protective cover at a desired distance over theopening by telescopic movement of the inner tube within the outer tube.2. The protective golf bag system of claim 1, further comprising: atravel case configured to hold the golf bag and the protector; and a capaffixed to an inner side of the the travel case, wherein the cap isconfigured to be coupled to the telescoping extensible tube by at leastone of the following: replacing the removable protective cover, ornesting with the removable protective cover.
 3. The protective golf bagsystem of claim 2, wherein the cap is integrally formed with the travelcase.
 4. The protective golf bag system of claim 2, wherein theremovable protective cover comprises two co-molded parts.
 5. Theprotective golf bag system of claim 1, wherein the divider furthercomprises a plurality of divider arms wherein the plurality of dividerarms define the plurality of areas for insertion of the one or more golfclubs.
 6. The protective golf bag system of claim 1, further comprisinga release system configured to control the telescopic movement of theinner tube inside the outer tube, the release system comprising aconnecting member that is moveable between a first position and a secondposition, wherein: when the connecting member is in the first position,the release system is configured to prevent relative movement of theinner tube and the outer tube, and when the connecting member in thesecond position, the release system is configured to allow relativemovement of the inner tube and the outer tube.
 7. The protective golfbag system of claim 6, wherein the release system further comprises: abutton; a release button rod operably coupled to the button andconfigured to be included in the telescoping extendible tube; a footoperably coupled to the release button rod; and a cammed surfaceoperably coupled to the foot via a wedge, the cammed surface beingconfigured to cause movement of the connecting member between the firstposition and the second position when the button is depressed.
 8. Theprotective golf bag system of claim 6, wherein the release systemcomprises a plurality of connecting members each configured to hold theinner tube in a different position with respect to the outer tube. 9.The protective golf bag system of claim 6, wherein the connecting memberis a pin.
 10. The protective golf bag system of claim 7 wherein theconnecting member is biased by a spring.
 11. The protective golf bagsystem of claim 7, further comprising a stabilizer positioned on therelease button rod to prevent flexing of the release button rod.
 12. Theprotective golf bag system of claim 1, wherein the removable protectivecover configured to have a shape that corresponds to a shape of thedivider.